Have you just been told that you will need to undergo root canal treatment? Read on and discover the key steps that are performed during that therapy. Use this information to allay any fears that you may have about this dental treatment.
Step 1: Anaesthesia Application
Your dentist will apply a local anaesthetic to the tooth so that you don't feel pain during the treatment. The specific anaesthetic that is selected depends on the specific patient characteristics that are discovered as the patient is examined before the procedure is scheduled. You should therefore have no fears that you will feel pain after the anaesthesia is administered.
Step 2: Tooth Cleaning and Shaping
The dentist then uses very small tools, such as a drill, to cut an opening into the top of your tooth. That opening is used to remove all the damaged pulp. He or she will keep irrigating that tooth in order to kill any microbes inside it. Tooth irrigation also makes it easy to extract everything inside the tooth so that future infections are forestalled. After cleaning the tooth, the dentist will take a file and shape your tooth in preparation for the crown that will be placed on it.
Step 3: Dental Filling
Your dentist will then fill the tooth using a rubbery substance called gutta percha. The opening that was made at the top of your tooth will then be closed using a temporary filling while the permanent crown is being fabricated by a lab.
Step 4: Crown Placement
The last step of the treatment involves placing the crown on the tooth. The crown is made to the exact dimensions of the tooth over which it will be placed. You will therefore feel no difference in your mouth once this crown is in place. The crown protects your tooth from further deterioration. This is because it shields the tooth from mechanical and biological agents that would cause it to deteriorate further. That crown can last for many years or even decades depending on how well you take care of your dental health.
As you can see, root canal treatment is a fairly simple process. However, you should not expect the entire therapy to be completed in one session. The number of sessions will vary depending on your individual circumstances. You should therefore comply with all the instructions given to you during this treatment so that everything goes according to plan.
